Donnie Darko Mise En Scene Analysis

To start, the film seems like your basic run-on-the mill coming of age tale with a group of teenagers growing up to desire more after they graduate high school. However, there are various more themes discreetly displayed throughout the runtime of the film. For example, one central sociological overtone of this film is Marxism. With this overtone, it becomes possible to view this light-hearted and comedic movie in a

One does not necessarily have to cluck in disapproval to admit that entertainment is all the things its detractors say it is: fun, effortless, sensational, mindless, formulaic, predictable, and subversive. In fact, one might argue that those are the very reasons so many people love it. At the same time, it is not hard to see why cultural aristocrats in the nineteenth century and intellectuals in the twentieth hated entertainment and why they predicted, as one typical nineteenth century critic railed, that its eventual effect would be to over turn all morality, to poison the springs of domestic happiness, to dissolve the ties of our social order, and to involved our country in ruin." said Neal Gabler, the author of Life in the Movie: How Entertainment Conquered Reality. I agree with this quote, that entertainment is mind numbing and lessen the values of our society. Back in the nineteenth century, entertainment was something that actually stimulated their minds,

The lesson begins with the Teacher using a remote to click through a series of scenes taking place between the Jumper and Good Samaritan, with the plot not turning out as one would expect. The first scene shown lacks conflict and does not allow for further plot; therefore the Teacher explains that this is not satisfying to the audience. The second scene also lacks conflict, by resolving too quickly, and the third scene is absurd with both characters using unnecessarily foul language that does not appeal to any kind of viewer. As the Teacher clicks through several more poorly constructed scenes the other two characters come to life and revolt which causes the Teacher to lose control. The true comedic events ensue when the Teacher battles with the other characters in order to regain control over the play. Surprisingly the Teacher is the one who becomes the victim to death, thereby creating an example of a well written play.

The Storm troopers break through, and an eye line shot from their perspective is used to show the rebels firing back; connoting a "new perspective" has arrived. The cutters continue, and when the camera cuts back, they have created a smoke screen , and enigma is created as to what will appear next. At this point, all sound cuts to

Mise-en-scene plays a large role in Children of Men; Alfonso Cuaron uses it to set a world with the state of affairs of reality mirroring concerns as migration, and media manipulation

When Truman does not walk into his workplace the show’s audience respond with excitement and a sense of pride. High angle tracking shots are used as cameras follow Truman and his every step, unable to anticipate his next move. The reverse shot in the side mirror of a car closely follow Truman and as several people obstruct the view it appears as if Truman is trying to get away and disappear from the scrutiny of the cameras. Truman tentatively surveys the area and for the first time listens to conversations around him. Close up shots of several conversations position the audience to also question those around Truman. These techniques used position the audience to respond with enthusiasm and delight towards Truman and his suspicions about the world he lives in. It is no longer seen as perfect.

Herrmann utilized a unified score that is constantly dissonant. Although there are variation of mood from loving sound to the terror of the shower, all the cues are observed to be used with minor seconds and major sevenths. He also uses distinct sound using the “percussive-sounding strings” through deploying microphone close to the instrument to demonstrate the sound to be harsher, which can be seen as some of the new approaches that Herrmann accomplished through this film as the start of “a New American Era”. In addition, new approach in film scoring can be seen through the lack of contrast in a cue. When a cue starts, it stays consistent and repeats the mood with no variation where there are absence of shifts within a cue. Moreover, descending and ascending chords of the Transition theme have an aloof characteristic with no display of emotions. This in return provides an overall disquieting mood to the story. During the Norman’s story, Hermann employs ostinato to maintain tension and discomforting sound of melody.

This is achieved through the use of pan shots, combined with non-diegetic sounds. In the scene where Brandy was reading her diary, a pan shot was used to show that she was living in a poor neighbourhood and the negative conditions associated with it. When her dad aggressively pulled her mum through the room and out of the house she described the violence the family experience at the hands of her dad. A mid shot was used to express the anger in the dad's face but also the tears and screaming in her mum’s face. This focuses the audience's attention on the domestic violence that Brandy experiences. The director portrays this through Brandy’s voice over dialogue, “ I watched my mother being half beaten to death…..” This is a powerful use of non diegetic sound combined with a pan shot. This allows the audience to see that the whole family was living in a small house with one bedroom. The reason why the director combines the panning effect with sound is to have a stronger effect and draw stronger emotions from the audience. The use of voiceover and non diegetic sounds create a stronger and more realistic mood for the audience. The use of voiceover during the scene of her mum getting violently pulled and pushed is mixed with panning shots to also show the reaction of the rest of the family as they witnessed the violence. Through the use of these techniques the director encourages audience to think about and emotionally understand what a lot of young people in abusive families go through and the struggles which make them who they are

1. “It was the details of the building that gave him the most pleasure… There would be a large basement with hidden chambers and a subbasement for the permanent storage of sensitive material… He could hardly imagine the pleasure that would full his days when the building was finished and flesh-and-blood women moved among its features. As always, the thought aroused him” (67).

In Napoleon Dynamite (Jared Hess, 2004), the character known as Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder) is quite a unique fellow. His quirkiness and eccentricity are what make him as a character; they are the primary traits of his personality. Keep in mind, however, that he is not the only odd character in the film, but he has his own peerless way of defining himself separate from any other character(s). This effect is achieved through certain cinematic techniques that director Jared Hess utilizes in order to bring out Napoleon’s persona in ways other than simply “guessing” who he really is. Rather, these techniques “explicitly imply” certain character traits; they are like clues that allow one to see the

     This film presents an individual that chooses not to conform to modern society, and the consequences of that choice. The main character

Throughout Memento the shifting between objective and subjective point of views shapes our perception of Leonard, Natalie and Teddy. There are two types of scenes in Memento, the black and white scenes in chronological order and the color scenes which are shown in reverse order, which eventually meet up chronologically with the black and white scenes. The black and white scenes are objective, the audience and Leonard can see all the facts and they are not influenced by Leonard’s emotions or opinions. The color scenes are subjective, they are from Leonard’s perspective and we are denied the same information Leonard is denied during these scenes.

These extra features along with the combination of full shots and long shots help to demonstrate the relationship between Alan and his fellow code-breakers, while at the same time establishing setting and scene. The close-ups in this movie define the character’s emotion allowing us to feel empathy for them. Camera Techniques demonstrate the different aspects in a film and for this, what better way to tell a complex story without simplicity.

The director of the movie(Frances Ford Copolla) has a very good use of montage, and long shots. Capolla starts off the movie with an extrodonary shot of an undertaker saying "this is America." Which gives a glimpse of how haunting the film is going to be? A good use of long shots is perfect when the camera pans around the long shot as Mikey takes on the responsibility of getting revenge for his fathers shooting. Also a good example of Copolla’s long shots is when the film is about to end and there is a shot of Diane Keaton looking so innocent and really knowing nothing of the family business. In the film, montage is used in the baptism scene. The shots cut when all the highly religious questions are asked of Mike, and then the shots start cutting back in forth from the killings of the head’s of the other top five family’s and the baptism, portraying mike as a changing person(a god man to an evil one.)

The shot transitions are cuts which maintain the flow of the narrative and the character’s actions.